Although people encounter similar events, they interpret what they experience in very different ways. Moreover, the effect of the same events on people may also differ. Some people evaluate every event they encounter only in terms of its apparent causes; they accept the conditions offered by the material world as “the facts of life.” Such a perspective causes a person to evaluate events superficially and to perceive life only in its apparent, material dimension.
However, some people see the true cause behind this entire appearance: Almighty God’s infinite knowledge, might and creation. They reflect more deeply on the events they experience, seek to understand the truths behind the apparent causes, and know that everything is created by God’s will with goodness and wisdom. Thus, they comprehend that life is not limited solely to its apparent face, and that every event experienced bears a deeper meaning and dimension that comes into being through God’s creation.
The difference between these two perspectives affects not only the way a person interprets events, but also his state of mind and his entire life. That is because as a person’s faith deepens, his outlook on life also changes; he better comprehends the meaning of the events he experiences, and the effect they have on his soul also changes.
Explaining Life Solely Through Apparent Causes
People who do not believe in God, whose faith is weak despite believing, or whose hearts are diseased generally regard the world as consisting solely of material facts. For them, life consists of a chain of causes that operates on its own. What people do, what conditions will bring, how the future will take shape, and whether what they possess will continue are of great importance to them.
Since they fail to properly reflect that God creates all these things with His infinite knowledge and might that encompass all things, they think that they are struggling against the conditions of life on their own. This perspective is also reflected in their thoughts, choices and the matters to which they attach importance in their daily lives.
Their material means, the property, status and reputation they possess, what people think about them, their social circles and their future living conditions are of great importance to them. They constantly make calculations in order to preserve these, not lose them, and possess better conditions.
What people will think about them, whether their material means will continue, their success in business life, their position in society, the beauty they possess and whether they will be able to lead a comfortable life become decisive in their decisions. People who place causes at the center of their lives magnify their place in their lives more than they should. For that reason, when people’s attitudes, their material means or conditions concerning the future change, they are greatly affected by this. Thus, without being aware of it, certain invisible anxieties that oppress people come to dominate their lives, and conditions that make their lives difficult emerge.
Almighty God reveals this situation with a striking example as follows:
“God offers an example of their anxiety in the Qur’an: God has made a metaphor for them of a man owned by several partners in dispute with one another and another man wholly owned by a single man. Are they the same? Praise be to God! The fact is that most of them do not know.” (Surat az-Zumar, 29)
As revealed in this verse, the value a person attaches to the causes and apparent conditions in his life and his seeing Almighty God’s might and will above all these are very different from one another.
Not Forgetting the One and Absolute Power Behind Causes
A person who knows God as his true Friend and Guardian does not disregard causes. However, he knows that no cause possesses any power independent of God. For him, the only One in Whom to trust, to Whom to turn and to Whom to be wholeheartedly devoted is Almighty God. That is because every event a person encounters takes place in accordance with the destiny determined by God. Causes exist; a person acts in accordance with these causes and does what falls to him. Yet all causes come into existence by His will, and results occur by His decree.
True faith manifests itself when a person comprehends this truth. A person with profound faith knows that the causes in his life are merely means. He attaches the necessary importance to them, but never forgets that Almighty God is the true power and the One Who determines all things.
Looking Not at Events, but at the Wisdom Behind Them
A believer with profound faith does not evaluate anything he sees around him solely by its outward appearance. He goes beyond the apparent face of events and reflects on the Divine wisdom behind every appearance. In a beauty he encounters, he sees God’s artistry; in a difficulty, the wisdom created; and in a blessing that reaches him, God’s favor. This perspective enables him to perceive the world as an environment in which God’s might and wisdom are manifested at every moment and in which there is a Divine order behind apparent events. Thus, he reflects that even events that seem ordinary and independent of one another come into being through God’s creation.
For that reason, a believer regards no event he experiences as meaningless or without an owner. He reflects that behind everything he sees, there is a meaning that directs him toward God’s infinite knowledge and might. He does not evaluate people’s behavior, the changes in his life or the conditions he encounters solely in terms of their apparent aspects. He seeks to understand the wisdom behind all these, and thus his outlook on the world gradually deepens. As he begins to see God’s existence, love, protection and artistry of creation at every moment of the life he leads, his attachment to the world gives way to his love for and trust in God.
Putting One’s Trust in God: Doing One’s Best and Leaving the Outcome to God
The attitude toward life of a believer who possesses such a perspective also changes entirely. He does not try to keep everything under his own control, calculate the future in advance or secure himself against every possibility he may encounter.
Of course, he does what falls to him, takes precautions and makes the best use of the means at his disposal. However, he does not think that he himself will determine the outcome of all these. That is because there are countless possibilities a person cannot see, and God can create entirely unexpected beauties whenever He wills.
This understanding constitutes the basis of the believer’s peace in the face of events. When he encounters a beauty, he knows that it is a blessing God has bestowed upon him and gives thanks. When he encounters a difficulty, he does not focus solely on the trouble he experiences; he reflects on the beauties God may create within this event, the wisdom He will teach and the new paths He may open. Thus, no event he experiences distances him from God; on the contrary, every event draws him a little closer to God.
Putting one’s trust in God is the natural result of this profound understanding of faith. Putting one’s trust in God does not mean waiting without doing anything, but leaving the outcome to Almighty God’s decree after doing one’s best. A believer resorts to causes, works and takes precautions; however, he attaches his heart not to causes or to his own calculations, but to God. That is because Almighty God knows all the details that man cannot perceive with his limited knowledge; His knowledge encompasses all things, and His decree is beyond all the possibilities man can see.
Indeed, Almighty God reveals this truth as follows:
“And provide for him from where he does not expect. Whoever puts his trust in God – He will be enough for him. God always achieves His aim. God has appointed a measure for all things.” (Surat at-Talaq, 3)
This is one of the important consequences in his life of the believer approaching the world with this profound perspective. He does not act solely according to apparent conditions; he knows that there are also wisdom and order created by God that man cannot always perceive. The path of a believer who is a friend of God, who loves Him and constantly remembers Him, is illuminated within this Divine order.
The Source of True Trust: Knowing God as One’s Friend
A very beautiful state comes over a person who is a friend of God. He does not remember God only in difficult times; he always loves Him, remembers Him and is wholeheartedly devoted to Him. He knows that God will never leave him unattended. For that reason, his heart is not constantly tossed about in the face of the changes in the world.
That is because for him, the true Friend is God. The love of people, the means offered by the world and all the blessings one possesses exist by God’s will and may likewise change by His will. When a believer truly comprehends this, a profound sense of trust comes about in his heart. He no longer feels alone. When he encounters a difficulty, instead of thinking only of his own strength and asking, “How will I cope with this?” he looks at it by asking, “How will God create this with beauty?”
This trust brings about a very special peace in the believer’s heart. This truth is expressed in the Qur’an as follows:
“Those who have faith and whose hearts find peace in the remembrance of God. Only in the remembrance of God can the heart find peace.” (Surat ar-Ra`d, 28)
The true peace a person seeks lies not in the conditions of the world always continuing as he wishes, but in attaching his heart to God. Everything in the world may change; the means one possesses may diminish, people may grow distant, and conditions may suddenly become different. Yet God’s existence, might, mercy and sovereignty continue unchanged for all eternity.
A person of strong faith attaches his peace to this truth that never changes, rather than seeking it in changing conditions. For a person who takes God as his sole Friend, the world ceases to be a place ruled by fears and anxieties. He sees God’s knowledge, might and wisdom behind every event. Thus, instead of being tossed about by the fear of losing what he possesses, his heart finds peace in his love for and trust in God. That is because for a servant who takes God as his Friend, the greatest assurance is knowing that he is under God’s protection at every moment:
“That is God, your Lord. There is no god but Him, the Creator of everything. So worship Him. He is responsible for everything.” (Surat al-An`am, 102)
